Mid-July, Oh My!

It’s hard to believe the most patriotic of both Canadian and US holidays have come and gone, but what a month of fishing!

30" Walleye South Lake

There are some absolute hogs being boated at all our lakes and the numbers are out of the park too (well actually IN the provincial park, but you know what I mean).

The last group out of South Lake reported several walleye in the mid to upper 20’s with one breaching the 30” mark.

Burnt Lake beat up on the big girls too with both trophy pike and walleye in the boat. Last week’s group also got into a mess of perch.

West Lake has seen several trophies of both species also.

Recent groups at Southwest reported a few mid-20’s walleye and one recent group caught 550 fish in just two hours (2 boats) and more than 3000 through the week!

I missed a report for the outgoing Cocos group, but we’ll try to catch up with the current guests later this week.

Suffice it to say, though, the fishing has been gang-busters!

Heck of a stinger out of SW

I haven’t heard of anything wild or new in the favorite lure category, a lot of silver and gold colored spoons, 3/8 oz jigs, and crankbaits are listed beside the trophy fish on the brag boards in camp.

Summer is in full swing with hot temps and (usually) brief afternoon thunder showers almost daily. Fortunately, they have been all benign save one big wind event we had three weeks ago.

With the hot temps, we are starting to see a mayfly hatch at Central, and presumably our other lakes too. I think they should be in full force the next few days with continued warm weather. It is usually a remarkably brief affair lasting a week or less. They are quite prolific, however, covering everything from the boats, motors, grills, cabins, to the airplane. They are supposed to be a strong indicator of a healthy ecosystem, so I guess we have that going for us. Which is nice.

We’re now staring down the back half of summer. The walleye should creep down deeper and form some dense schools. The pike will claim their turf in the weedbeds and cabbage – top water fun will ensue.

We did have one recent and unfortunate health related cancelation that frees up a week at Central,7/28 – 8/4. There is also one more opening this summer at South Lake: 8/18 – 8/25. Please reach out anytime if a last minute trip is in the cards for you.

South Lake 37"

Thanks so much for everyone that shared trip reports and photos. And thank you for reading and happy summer, everyone!

Time for shore lunch!

It's Summer (right?)!

It’s been a busy month since we first arrived at Central Lake to kick off the 2024 season at Big Hook!

We have been hard at work getting the cabins, boats, and equipment prepped for our guests – the first of whom often arrive within just a few days of us.

Winter was relatively kind to all our locations with the exception of Burnt Lake. Large frost heaves there necessitated some foundation work before we could even get in the cabin.

Things otherwise turned on and opened up well, and before we knew it, the business of reassembling the cabins was over and the lakes were buzzing with outboards and fishermen.

The spring weather has been another story. It has been a very cold and wet start to our season. We even got a good shot of snow! Just three weeks ago, we woke up to several inches blanketing the whole park.

Fortunately, the pattern seems to be changing and we are now parked under some high pressure with blue skies and (moderately) warmer temps. Upper 70’s are in the forecast by next week. It will feel good and maybe the chainsaw can have a rest.

The camps are now all open and busy. Reports have been coming in and the consensus is that the fish and bugs seem a little confounded by the weather too. There have been reports of white hot bites in 3’ of water. Other groups were working a little harder for their fish and finding them deeper (9-10’). Some this week reported walleyes still milting or egg laden (about a month late). Guests last week reported a spotty mayfly hatch (about a month early). Confusing.

Many of our regular guests that return to the same lake, same week are simply stating that the fish are busy and active, but just not where they have found them in year’s past. 

I’ve only had the chance to wet a line a few times myself, but did make it out for an hour or on Wednesday in preparation for the weekly Central Lake fish fry. I took Maria and new pilot, Adam, to a spot right near camp I have caught an easy supper at in mid-Junes gone by. Nothing. I cast a little closer towards shore and my jig was immediately slammed. We moved the boat a few feet from the rocks and caught the 5 we needed for dinner in about 5 minutes.

In addition to our stringer full, there have been reports of lots trophy fish being boated too. South Lake reeled in a 28” walleye on a hot’n tot. Cocos lake has a 27.5” and a few more at 25” on the board too. The current Central Lake group also has a walleye tied largest to date at 28” (3/8 oz jig). We’ve heard about several pike in the upper 30 – lower 40 inch range. At least one pike in the 40’s was boated during West Lake’s opening week 5/26-6/2 and “lots of northerns from 33"-41" the week after. Some successful lures were a 4” 5 of Diamonds and a twister tail tipped silver minnow.

For folks tracking other seasonal patterns up here, the black flies have come and gone – a very short season for them. The mosquitos are fierce right now, but seem stunted in their growth. What they lack in size, they certainly seem to be making up with in numbers. The pollen has come off the pines (it looked like a dust storm early this week). All the deciduous leaves are popped and trees are looking full. Lots of wildlife are out and about; several black bears and moose have been spotted. Water levels started off much higher than I anticipated (the second highest I have ever seen when we first arrived), but have been going down quickly despite all the precipitation (I wonder it some trees fell or ice blocks formed a damn below Cocos which have since given way). And, there has yet to be a wildfire in Northwestern Ontario (knock on wood).

We’re looking forward to settling in to what should be an outstanding summer.

I will do my best to keep updates and fresh reports coming for those with travels pending. There are one or two open weeks towards the end of our season if anyone is thinking of a trip still. For those that have recently been to Big Hook, please don’t be shy about emailing us some pictures – we love to share them.

Thanks so much for reading and happy summer everyone!

All she wrote...

 

C-FXZK soaks in the Northern Lights

Our 2023 season at Big Hook is officially a wrap!

    It was an outstanding one by all measures - probably my favorite to date. But with fall in the air, one needs to know when to say “when,” and the time has most certainly come.

    We were in the full throws of autumn when Ripp and I departed Central Lake for Winnipeg last week. The leaves were peaking, birds heavy into their migration, and the fish chomping away trying to put on a few more ounces each before the colder months really set in.

    I was fortunate to spend the last week with just the dog and I as the only inhabitants of Opasquia Park – at least the only (semi) domesticated ones. We ticked away at some projects, got a lot of overdue office work done, and snuck in some fishing for ourselves too.

The final fish of 2023

With the declining water temps, the fish had moved a little shallower (8 – 12’) but continued to be voracious. We caught supper in no time – one evening we never left the dock!

    High winds kept me from casting my fly rod for pike, but our final guests of the year reported continued fast action with at least a few trophies out of Central and West Lakes. A perch colored spinner bait was their hot lure.

    Before Maria and Peter departed, we ticked of several bigger projects including leveling and straightening the foundation piers at Burnt Lake and constructed a new motor shed at Central.

    The business of closing down all the camps is always a little somber, but freshly painted floors and heaps of cut firewood will be waiting for our season opener in 8 short months.

    I will look to send out our annual holiday card in the coming months, but hope to do a bit of a season recap by the numbers (fish caught, lbs of potatoes consumed, beers crushed, etc…). Please let me know if you / your group has any special stories that should be included. Please also send me any pics that
you’d care to share – we love seeing them!    Speaking of, we got a big batch of historical photos from one of our longtime guests now into their 4th generation of Big Hook’ers. Thanks so much, Matt, for sending in those gems.

Central Lake 1986

     With the season officially wrapped up, I want to extend my most sincere thanks to everyone who came to visit us this year. It was a great summer, and, I for one, am already looking forward to next!

    Speaking of, our calendar is down to just a handful of open weeks. If you are thinking of a trip to Big Hook, please reach out asap so we can be sure to get you on the calendar. Enjoy the colder months everyone!

Till next year Big Hook,

Ryan

Ripp helps lookout for geese

Everyone is hungry!

Beautiful fall

Where does the time go...

Where does the time go…

    It’s easy to fall into a groove up at Big Hook: fish, eat, sleep, repeat… For our guests, the weeks are almost always too short. For our staff, it’s the same story with the whole summer. We have just a few precious weeks of our season to go. Boy it’s a magnificent time to be up here, though – we will savor it.

    The weather has been near perfect. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s have meant comfortable weather on the water and about the best sleeping conditions in the evening that one could ask for. Our days are getting noticeably shorter with real darkness setting in around 10pm now. The stars here never disappoint – they are as vivid and bold as I have seen anywhere. We’ve gotten a few glimpses of the northern lights too.

    We’ve been fortunate to have a few great family groups in recent weeks – it’s so fun watching kids getting HOOKED on fishing and the outdoors. And, often times, they catch the biggest fish of the trip!

    Speaking of fishing: it has been great!

    I have had the chance to get out on the water quite a bit the past two weeks. We hosted Troy Lindner and a production of his show, The Canadian Experience, last week. We fished lots and had an all-around spectacular time. The episode will air this spring and should be available on the Sportsman Channel, The World Fishing Network, and YouTube. I will look to get more details in time for our holiday mailer and make sure to post a head up on our social platforms too.

    We banged up on the walleye for sure and boated some nice pike also. Most of the walleye were caught snap jigging 1/4 – 3/8 oz jig heads with 3” swimbait tails – orange, purple, and perch colors were particularly productive.

    For the northern, a white Bucktail spinner was the favourite, and definitely got lots of attention; the skirt on his first was cut so short from all the pike in the first two days that it definitely would have been sent home from Catholic School. As a few other guests have noted, pike were not as interested as usual for top water lures for reasons unknown.

    Other guests had great luck with spoons like 5 of Diamonds and Johnson silver minnows in Red / White and Gold.

    Several 40” ‘ers have been reported including the last pike that Troy and I caught which was right at the mark.

    We did get a full, and much needed, day of rain Wednesday – I am estimating a full 2 inches, although a more precise measurement is not available due to a dog vs. rain gauge fight here at Central. It turns our Ripp still has some puppy in him. The rain brought the water levels up some, but they are still low. It seems that most of it soaked right up in the soil – it was getting pretty dry around here previously.

    We’ll hope for some more soon (just not during your stay for our customers with a remaining 2023 reservation). Hopefully that will give me the chance to get out one more update before we wrap up our season.

    It’s crazy thinking about 2024 already, but that calendar is filling up fast. Now’s the time to start thinking about Big Hook ’24. Please reach out by phone or email if you have any questions or would like to make a reservation.

    Thanks so much and happy August everyone!

Full Swing...

    Summer is definitely in full swing up at Big Hook: The temps (both lake and air) are comfortably warm. The springtime insects have moderated – I can’t remember the last time I put on bug spray. Weed beds are developing and starting to reach the surface in areas. AND, the fish tallies are REALLY adding up.

South Lake Tank!

    Since our last report, guests have boated dozens of trophy fish, including many pike over 40” and our first walleye over 30” on the year.

    That tank, pictured here, was caught on a 2” rainbow colored Hot’n Tot trolled over a gentle rise at South Lake.

   First time guest, Sam, boated this beauty 42.5” pike on a Mepp’s Giant Killer at West Lake. The same group boated more than a half dozen other trophies with several walleye in the upper 20's and pike right at the 40" mark. 

    Guests across our locations have noted the mayfly hatch is already on the tail end of the event. It’s the earliest I’ve ever witnessed the phenomena. It apparently didn’t slow down fishing much. The outgoing group at Southwest, a couple from Minnesota, caught more than 3000 fish during their two week stay. For those that don’t want to get out their calculators, that’s an average of more than 100 fish / person every day for 14 days (and I know they enjoyed plenty of time off the water too)!

West Lake 42.5"

    With the mayflies having come and gone, the fish should be ravenous the next few weeks as they have expanded their bellies and need to refill. We’re sure to get into mid-summer patterns too, with walleye schooled up on deeper reefs and northern staking out their territory around the weed beds.

    I’ve gotten lots of questions about the wildfire smoke up here. We’re very fortunate to have had just 1 or 2 semi-smokey days. The smoke from the big fires out west gets swept down to the Great Lakes region and Midwest by the jet stream, so really doesn’t affect us. There are a few smaller fires closer to Red Lake and Sioux Lookout that has made for some hazy days further to our south but none of that has drifted up here yet. Unfortunately, all reports are that the situation is much worse for many of our guests back home, south of the border. Come up to Big Hook and get some fresh air!

    I can’t believe we’re staring down July already. Happy Canada Day to all the locals and happy 4^th of July for all our American friends. ALSO, a huge thanks to our guests that sent in photos from their trip!

Till next time,

Ryan

Central Lake Gator!

Off to the races for 2023...

    A fond hello to all from Big Hook Wilderness Camps in Opasquia Provincial Park for our inaugural update / post of the 2023 season. 

    While the calendar suggests summer just started a few days ago, it seems like we’ve had a season’s worth of fun and excitement in just the 4 short weeks since we arrived. 

Ryan, Ripp, and our 30th fish...

    

    Camp dog, Ripp, and I made Central Lake on May 14th – about two days after the ice out. Camp manager, Maria, and our new pilot, mechanic, jack of all trades, and finder of things that Maria and I have misplaced, Peter, arrived the next day. 

    

    We found all the camps in good repair and quickly got to the business of getting all the cabins open and boats rigged – our first guests arrived less than a week later on May 21. 

    Fortunately, these fishermen were targeting Northern Pike almost exclusively. The Walleye were still finishing their spawn, and as such, pretty finicky. At Central Lake, the Northern fishing was off the charts, however. Guests in that group boated every length of fish on the tape measure, they said, right on up through a 42”. Their only complaint was sore arms and shoulders from reeling in so many. We helped soothe these woes with the inaugural sauna / lake plunge combo. 

    Guests reported the Northern were going hard after top water baits and congregated wherever there was moving water. Their hottest lure was a blue and white Jitterbug. By the end of the week, the Walleye emerged from their post spawn lull and the Walleye fishing has been WHITE HOT ever since. Several groups reported catches of hundreds of fish per day – the type of fishing where you can’t even get your jig to the bottom before you’ve tied into another. 

All that was left of my jig...

    I got out for a short bit myself last night and boated 30 fish in 30 minutes. What was left of my 3/8 oz jig pictured here. 

 In addition to the standard jig and twister tail combo, guests were having great success with size 2 – 3 Mepps spinners and mid range Husky Jerks. 

    Guests and staff last week bore witness one other spectacle: a lightning strike started a small wildfire that quickly grew to nearly 30,000 acres smack dab in the middle of Opasquia Park. Fortunately, we got a moderate amount of rain just as the fire was transitioning from a wonder to a worry. It was tamped down almost entirely by the initial precip, and should be out completly now – the time to write this was afforded by the inch of rain we got overnight last night and is lingering into this morning, grounding our plane for the time being. 

The Opasquia Wildfire.

    I haven’t received any guest fish photos yet – perhaps another result of the sore muscles noted above. If you’re fresh off a trip to Big Hook, please email your photos to info@bighookcamps.com or post them to our blog, Facebook, or Instagram account (#bighookcamps). 

    It’s been a great start to the season and we’re looking forward to the rest of the summer – it’s going too fast already. 

    If you’re still on the fence about a last minute trip in 2023, we have a few sporadic openings and are now starting to take reservations for early season 2024.

A memorial gathering for Tom Brotherston in 
Sandy Lake, complete with fish fry. 

 Best to all and thanks for reading, 

 Ryan 

My favorite time at Big Hook...

    People often as what is my favorite time to be at Big Hook. While each month has its charm, the simple answer for me is late August / early September.

    The weather the past few weeks has been ideal. Comfortably warm days with just the slightest nip in the air at night that makes pulling over a blanket feel oh’ so good. The mosquitos have gone from the worst I ever remember in June to practically nonexistent. The longer nights often lead to some fantastic northern lights displays (as captured by last week’s guests at Burnt Lake). And, the fishing is outstanding!

Northern Lights at Burnt Lake

    Walleyes seem to be everywhere with several camps reporting numerous trophy catches. West lake’s largest for the week topped out at 28” and their catch count was in the “hundreds”. Interestingly West was finding them shallower than other reports, in about 8 feet of water. They hauled in several big pike too with 45 breaching the 30” mark and 3 north of 40”.

    South had a remarkable week also. Strict walleye fishermen, focused on big fish, they found them - with 31 fish over 25”! Pictures are suspiciously absent, but I do believe them. They know the lake well and were fishing hard. Checking out the brag sheet at South there have been a

Central Lake 42.5"

few other 28-29” fish caught and released since my last report. The reputation there for BIG walleye is well deserved.

    Most reports, save last week’s at West, has the walleye in the 15-20’ depths. I verified this myself yesterday, sneaking in a few hours on the water at Central before our fish fry. 18’ was the magic depth for me. Most folks are employing the standard jigs and crank baits, although a few fisherfolk did very well using crawler harnesses also.

    Some BIG pike are being caught too with top water action still in full swing. This dandy 42” was caught and released at Central Lake by a first-time visitor. Her dad claims some credit, though, “guiding” her to it.

  There’s another new employee at Big Hook. “Ripp” has gotten his sea legs under him and should prove to be an excellent fishing companion for years to come. He is training to be an avalanche rescue dog in the wintertime and will be on bear and swim patrol at Big Hook all summer. Lucky dog. Lucky Ryan.

"Ripp"

   It’s hard to believe there’s only a few more weeks left in our season up here. Late season guests should continue to enjoy great weather and great fishing. We have a good number of openings for August 2023. Give us a call or email if you’d like to do the same next year! In the meantime, we’ll savor this magical time of year up here. Fall will be here before we know it.

Happy fishing everyone,

Ryan